Seat support



J1me 1953' J. F. MCKINNEY ETI'AL SEAT SUPPORT Filed March 5, 1948'YIYIIIIIIJ Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEATSUPPORT James F. McKinney and Arthur E. Miller, Aurora, 111., assignorsto Farm Appliance Corporation, Aurora, 111., a corporation of IllinoisApplication March 5, 1948, Serial No. 13,318

Claims. (Cl. 15551) This invention relates to a seat support andparticularly to the support for the seat of a vehicle, such as a tractoror other rugged vehicular ditching, road-working, or cultivating machinenormally drivenover uneven terrain.

This invention is an improvement over a seat support for vehicles fullydescribed in a pending application Serial No. 674,239, filed June i,1946, which has matured into Patent No. 2,597,- 252. In the pendingapplication, the vehicle seat support is comprised of a pair ofcurvilinear spring metal straps joined together at one end fact that thespeed at which one of these machines can be operated is dependent on theability of the seat to support the full weight of the operator in a safeand comfortable manner, and

the efiiciency and productivity of an operator is more or lessproportional to the fatigue which he experiences. Both of thesecontrolling factors relate to the riding characteristics of the seat,and considerable effort is being directed to construct a seat assemblywhich will offer a safe and comfortable ride while the machine istravelling over normal surfaces and terrain at various rates of speed,

In order to secure the desired riding characteristics, it is adesideratum greatly to reduce the extent of up and down flexing orswinging movement of the seat once it is actuated for shock or impact.It is also important to lessen the numseat to the desired angularrelationship for best riding comfort without the necessity ofreadjusting the seat every time drivers of different weight assume theoperating position. Such changes in drivers are often made during a daysoperation of the machine.

It is an object of this invention to produce a 3 2 seat support whichprovides a smooth, safe, and comfortable ride for operators of vehiclesof the type described.

Another object is to produce a shock absorbing seat support whichquickly and smoothly returns the seat to normal driving position.

A further object is to produce a seat support which provides acomfortable shockproof ride to the driver of the vehicle whiletravelling at relatively high speeds and over rough terrain bygenerating counteracting and counterbalancing forces which reduce theextent and number of up and down seat movements ordinarily resultingfrom the travel of the vehicle.

A further object is to produce a seat mounting which is automaticallyadjustable to position the seat at a forward inclinefor best ridingcomfort notwithstanding the weight of the operator seated thereon. V

A still further object is to produce a shock absorbing seat support fortractors and the like which is constructed of relatively few simpleparts which are readily assembled as a separate unit for mounting on thetractor in connection with or apart from the normal assembly lineoperations.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention willhereinafter appear, and for purposes of illustration, but not oflimitation, an embodiment of the inventionis shown in the accompanyingdrawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective elevational view of a seatsupport embodying the features of this invention; and

1 Figure 2 is an elevational detail view partially in section of thesupport shown in Fig. 1.

The cardinal features of this invention are embodied in a seat supportor mounting having a pair of curvilinear spring metal'straps joinedtogether at one end for connection to the vehicle frame. The free endportions of the straps are in vertically spaced-apart relation with theupper having means for mounting the seat. The two straps areinterconnected at their spaced-apart portions by spring members whichexpand the ends apart from their normally relaxed position. Because ofthe difference in their length, curvature, and contour, the two strapsare unable to react identically to shock causing flexing movements sothat their rhythm is substantially immediately broken and the seat isquickly and smoothly brought to rest after a minimum of up and downmovements.

Another important feature resides, in the arrangement of parts whereby aseries of spring members controlling the spaced relation between thefree ends of the spring metal straps operate selectivelyandautomatically to adjust the angu lar relation of the seat mountingportion to the most comfortable position corresponding to the weight ofthe operator.

Referring now to the drawing, I indicates an outer spring 'nietal straphaving an inwardly inclined intermediate portion I I and integral upperand lower end portions I2 and I3 respectively extending substantiallyhorizontally in the same orrection and. in vertically spaced relation.The end portion I2 of the outer strap is adapted to carry the seat I4and, for this purpose, openings I5 are provided for receiving a bolt orother seat fastening means secured to the underside of the seat. Anotherinner spring metal strap 1'! is formed with horizontally disposedspaced-apart end portions I8 and which are integrally eonnested at theirforward ends by an inclined intermediate portion 'I'9. The angularrelation between portions I8 and I9 of the inner strap -'is less thanthe angular relation between portions II and I3 of the outer strap.correspondingly, the obtuse angle between portions I9 and 20 of theinner strap is greater than the obtuse angle between portions II and 'I2of the outer strap. In their assembled relation, the portion I 8 isfixed atop portion I3, and, beea'use of the difierences in angularrelations, the intermediate portions I9 and II diverge from each otherand the end portions 20 and I2 are vertically spaced apart and at aslight angle with each other. Thus the two straps differ in eontour,radius of curvature, and. it is apparent that the inner strap can be ofshorter length than the outer. As a result, when these straps are-resiliently interconnected between their spaced-apart portions, theirrhythms in up and down movement blifier, with the result that theyquickly but smoothly return to their normal riding position. v

The assembled spring metal straps Ill and 'I I, as shown, are fixed toemounting plate 2I by bolt and nut means '22, and openings 210. areprovided in the ends of the plate ror receivin fastening means forsecuring the same to the tractor. I

Spring members are used resiliently to ea nn'ect these spaced-apartportions of the in'g metal straps, and by arranging these spring membersin a manner further to tension the straps to assume a stressed positionor espanued position in which they are nexsdawayrromeach other in normalmounted position, the efit'e'n't or "bouncing movement is *considerabiylessened and the number of swings before the strap members come to restis greatly reduced. The-strapmembers in Fig. 2 are shown in their normalexpanded position while the broken lines indicate "the normal positionthese same straps would assume in the absence of the resilient membersforcing them apart.

One of these resilient means, such "as a coil spring 23, is disposedbetween the spaced, in-

clined intermediate portions of the straps, one

end of V the spring being connected to the inner strap I! by bolt means24, while the other end merely bears against the under side of the outerstrap portion II. Althou h mere inter-connection of the spaced-apartendportions I2 and 20 of the respective strap members by similar com-'-pression 'coil springs maysuflice to effect the desired results, it ismore efiective if a multiplicity of aligned spring members, hereinafterreferred to as cushioning springs, are employed'in 'coop-- '1 emuqn witha Ll-shaped spring metal member 25. One arm of the U-shaped spring metalmember secured by bolt means 26 tog-the underside of the free endportion I2 of the outer strap III, while the other free arm 21 of the U-shaped member extends inwardly between the spaced-apart free endportions of the inner and outer spring metal straps i0 and I1respectively.

The nee end portion of the arm 2i is urged in the direction away fromthe end portion I2 of the seat carrying strap by a coil spring 28 of thecompression type disposed therebetween and connected by bolt means 29 tothe arm 21. Other aligned compression or cushioning coil springs 30, 3|,and 32 are disposed between the underside of the free arm 27 of theU-shaped member 25 to which they are secured by bolt and nut means 33and the upper wall of the section 20.

In operation, the spring 23 operates as a recoil spring effectiveimmediately upon relative movement between straps to oppose thedeflection of the strap I0 when it is flexed downwardly in the directionor the other strap I'I. Ihe principal recoil and cushioning efie'ct isimparted by the spring members 28, 30, 3I and 32 in 'oooperation withthe spring member '25-. These resilient members operate further totension the end sections '20 and 2I apart rapidly to return the strapsand, correspondingly, the drive seat to normal operative position and toreduce the extent of vertical movement of the seat carrying end portionI2.

As previously pointed out, another feature of this invention resides inthe means automatically adjusting the seat to the most comfortableposition in accordance with the weight of the operator. This mostcomfortable position has been determined to be a forwardly inclinedposition in which the rear of the seat is about threeei'ghths inchhigher than the front. Heretofore, each operator has had to manuallyadjust the seat for his own use, and when it is understood that severalpersons of different weights may operate the machine in a single day, itwill be apparent that considerable time andeifort are lost and "theresulting wear and tear on the adjusting mechanism soon renders the sameineffective.

In our improved seat support, the initial position of the seatsupporting section I2 is such that the desired incline is providedwithout reliance on "the cushioning springs as, 3!, and 32 until theweight of the operator exceeds a predetermined value, say seventy-fivepounds. When operators of greater weight are used, these cushioningsprings become errective in pro er order in response to the angularrelationship of the "parts "upon 'i'l'eXure under increasing load tomaintain the angular relation of the seat. For example, spring 32becomes effective to assist in-counteracting weights of '75 to pounds,springs 3 and 3| become e'fie'ctive at weights up to pounds, and allthree become effective to counteract greater weights.

will be apparent from the description that we have produced a seatmounting which can be comfortably used by all opei'atorswithout ad-'justment'and which, when in use, offers 'a smooth floating 'ri'deheretofore unobtainable in rugged equipment of the type described. Theessential elements are not complex or expensive but can be readilyformed 'by simple methods of inex ensive parts and readily assembledwith power "equipment or separate and apart from 'theve'hicle -as se'nibly line to be later installed in place. 'The assembled unit may also besubstituted on existing equipment or on equipmeiit'not provided with theimproved mounting thereby to improve vehicles already in use.

It will be understood that we have produced a new and improved vehicleseat mounting or support comprising a pair of connected spring metalstraps which differ in curvature and contour so that their free endportions are spaced apart and further tensioned apart by recoil andcushioning springs, part of which operate additionally as leveling andstabilizing members automatically to position the seat at a desiredangle and quickly and smoothly to return the seat to its normalposition. From a comparative standpoint, my improved mounting reducesthe number of up and down swinging movements of a seat from 17 swings toabout 2 to 4 swings, and the extent of swinging movement may be reducedfrom 14 inches to between 1 /2 to 4 or 5 inches.

It will be further understood that other resilient materials may be usedto form the spring straps [0, H, and 25, and that other resilientmembers, such as leaf springs, may be used in place of the various coilsprings described. In addition, numerous changes may be made in thedetails of construction, arrangement, and operation of the various partswithout departing from the spirit of the invention, especially asdefined in the following claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A support for a vehicle seat comprising a pair of spring stripspositioned one upon the other and connected together at one end formounting on the vehicle and having inclined divergent rearwardlyextending portions intermediate the ends and horizontally disposed freeend portions in spaced apart relation, a seat support in thehorizontally disposed end portion of the upper strip, resilient meansconstantly urging the divergent portions of the straps toward expandedpositions, said resilient means including coil springs interposedbetween the other horizontally free end portions of the spaced straps.

2. A support for a tractor seat comprising a first and second springstrip positioned one on the other and secured together at one end formounting on the tractor and having inclined divergent rearwardlyextending portions intermediate the ends and substantially horizontallydisposed, spaced, rearwardly extending free end portions, a thirdcurvilinear strip rigid with the first strap and having a free endportion disposed between the free end portions of the first two straps,and resilient connections between each of the straps constantly to urgetheir free end portions in the direction away from each other.

3. A support for a tractor seat comprising a spring metal strap havingan inclined intermediate portion and a horizontally disposed end portionfor mounting the tractor seat, another spring metal strap having a lowerhorizontal portion at one end connected with the horizontal portion ofthe first strap for mounting onto the tractor and having an intermediateportion inclined at an angle from the horizontal portion differing fromthat of the angle between the intermediate portion and the horizontalportion of the first strap whereby the intermediate inclined portionsdiverge from each other in spaced relation so that each moves throughdifferent paths when flexed in response to applied forces, a coil springinterconnecting the divergent portions between the spring metal straps,a third spring metal strap connected at one end portion to the undersideof the seat supporting end portion of the first strap and having a freeend portion disposed between the spaced apart end portions of the firsttwo straps, and resilient means operatively connecting the spaced apartportions of the various straps to expand the first two straps from theirnormal position and relate the flexing movements whereby they arequickly and smoothly returned to their normal expanded position.

4. A support for a tractor seat comprising a spring metal strap havingan inclined intermediate portion and a horizontally disposed end portionfor mounting the tractor seat, another spring metal strap having a lowerhorizontal portion at one end connected with the horizontal portion ofthe first strap for mounting onto the tractor and having an intermediateportion inclined at an angle from the horizontal portion difiering fromthat of the angle between the intermediate portion and the horizontalportion of the first strap whereby the intermediate inclined portionsdiverge from each other in spaced relation so that each moves throughdifferent paths when flexed in response to applied forces, a third strapin the form of a U-shaped member connected to the seat supporting endportion of the first strap with the free end extending in the directionopposite the free end of the first two straps, and coil springsinterposed between the free end portions of the first and third strapsand between the second and third straps constantly to urge the endportions apart.

5. A support for a tractor seat comprising a spring metal strap havingan inclined intermediate portion and a horizontally disposed end portionfor mounting the tractor seat, another spring metal strap having a lowerhorizontal portion at one end connected with the horizontal portion ofthe first strap for mounting onto the tractor and having an intermediateportion inclined at an angle from the horizontal portion difiering fromthat of the angle between the intermediate portion and the horizontalportion of the first strap whereby the intermediate inclined portionsdiverge from each other in spaced relation so that each moves throughdifferent pitlis when flexed in response to applied forces, a thirdU-shaped strap connected to the seat supporting portion of the firststrap with a free end extending in the opposite direction of the freeends of the first two straps, a coil spring disposed between the endportion of the U- shaped strap and the inner end portion of the seatsupporting end portion of the first strap, and a plurality of alignedcoil springs disposed. between the free end portion of the U-shapedmember and the end portion of the second strap.

JAMES F. MCKINNEY. ARTHUR E. MILLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 74,208 Dutton Feb. 11, 1868 476,238 Bauer June 7, 1892 633,177Worthington Sept. 19, 1899 736,665 Wilson Aug. 18, 1903 1,193,977 BerethAug. 8, 1916 1,390,865 Bangle Sept. 13, 1921 1,433,720 Hendrickson Oct.31, 1922 2,191,317 Howard Feb. 20, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 604,340 Great Britain July 1, 1948

